Locked Down
by ravioliart
Summary: Disclaimer: I do not own anything! ATTN Lost Fans, I am writing this in the POV of myself, as if I was a passenger. This is also a love story between John Locke and myself. There will be chapters written in his point of view as well. ** Chapters may contain mature content; Swearing, Sexual Content/Adult situations **
1. Flight 815

I have always had a fear of planes; a confined space, up very high with no way out until you land, if you do. It is terrifying. Fear is a funny thing though; it has held me back from travelling my whole life. I am 22 now and I need to try and overcome this fear so I can finally see the world. First on my list was Sydney, Australia.

It was a lovely day in Sydney; sunny and just warm enough. I was walking to the Oceanic Airport waiting to catch my flight, 815. My next destination was Los Angeles California to visit Venice Beach and the art there, especially the Starry Night mural. I have a few hours to kill before I can actually board the plane so once inside the airport I headed to find a bar. On my way there I noticed all of the people I walked by; rushed, calm, crying and confused. All of these people had their own story for being there, not all good reasons by the looks of some of their faces. I passed about a dozen restaurants and gift shops before I finally found a bar less crowded than the rest. I walk in and have my eye on an empty booth in the back; I grab a drink and go sit down.

I've now been in here for an hour. Time flies when you're talking and flirting. I get up and pay the tab. While I am waiting for the bartender to give my card back with a receipt, I notice an attractive man is looking at me. I look at him and smile, and then return my gaze to the bartender. His gaze lingers and I look back at him. He has brown hair you just want to run your fingers through, brown eyes you could get _lost_ in and a very nice smile. I also couldn't help but notice he had nice muscles. He was the first to speak, breaking my trance.

"Hi there." He begins "Enjoying the view?" he says laughing,

"Hi, uhh yeah I'm sorry." I reply embarrassed

"So where are you travelling to?" he asks, smiling at me

"I am headed to Los Angeles. My flight actually leaves in an hour…" I say

"Huh, mine does too, I wonder if we are on the same flight." He says

"Flight 815" we say in unison

"I'm Jack by the way, nice to meet you." He says

"I'm Alora, nice to meet you Jack." I say smiling at him "Well, I will see you on the plane. Bye." As he says goodbye, I get my card and receipt and start to walk out, as I turn back around Jack brings his attention back to his drink and I see his smile fade rather quickly. I recognize that distracting sadness all too well. But sadness has never looked so good honestly.

As I reach the gate, I take the farthest seat from everyone else. I was looking at the faces as I walked to my seat. There were a few couples; the first couple was young, beautiful but her eyes weren't full of life- she seemed distracted. The second couple was older but they were obviously so in love, the way they looked at each other is honestly what everyone hopes for. I passed by a bigger guy with the cutest curly hair; he was invested in his music, a tan blond, blue eyed southern stud; a total heartbreaker you just know it, a woman my age who was pregnant; so beautiful – glowing, and a handful of others. I reach my anti-social seat by the window and pick up a magazine from the seat next to me. I'm mindlessly flipping through the pages and happen to look up and see the most attractive man I have seen all day. My eyes are glued to him. Seconds later he looks up and our eye _locked_. They are a lighter shade of blue than my own and I am just _lost_ in them. He is an older man and bald but that is honestly just my type. I can feel my cheeks burning, blushing bright red. I break the stare and giggle to myself. I look back at him and smiled. I then noticed the wheelchair and at that moment he looked away as if he were ashamed. He was then assisted onto the plane along with the lucky first class. I was hoping I was sitting near him; I want to talk to him. About a half hour later we all get to board the plane.

I take my seat and notice him two rows behind me. I put my carryon over my seat and hope he is checking me out. As I go to take my seat, I notice Jack is one row ahead of me. He says hi to me again and we cat for a couple minutes. After that I finally sit down and shortly after I sit the plane starts moving. I hold tight to the armrests and close my eyes, ready for this flight to be over.


	2. The Orange Slice

I woke from a nap and got up to use the restroom. I went to open the door but someone was already in so I went back to my seat. We stopped our conversation and I fell back asleep.

The turbulence woke me up from my deep sleep. It was quick and then returned to normal. The pilot reassured us that was the last of it. Shortly after it returned, and was stronger. There were screams and shouts all around me. I closed my eyes and held tight to the armrests and prayed this too would end. But it didn't. It got worse. One fear that has prevented me from traveling all these years was actually coming true. Jack turned to me and said "its fine, this will be over soon too." I nodded and smiled. The oxygen masks dropped down and everyone started to panic, myself included. I looked back at him as I put my mask on in disbelief and tried my hardest not to have a panic attack. He smiled to reassure me but I saw in his eyes he was nervous. I kept repeating "it will be fine" to myself, trying to convince myself. Soon after the plane started to creak and crack a bit. Minutes later, the crack got bigger and the tail end tore off. I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself and remember to breathe. I passed out from panic, or maybe lack of oxygen.

I woke up on a beach. There were people running all over and someone was screaming. I scrambled to my feet, but fell to my knees from a horrible headache. I looked around in disbelief. _We crashed on a fucking island_. I began to panic; my mom and best friend were expecting a call when I landed. My constant reassurance that I would be fine now seemed silly. With my bag nowhere in sight I started to cry. My family will be worried sick.

I tried to calm myself, walking down near the water. The beach has always been such a calm place for me. I loved the water, but now I felt so small… so _lost._ I felt alone even though I was on this island with all these people; but they were strangers. We were all scared out of our mind; we didn't know how long we would be here. Jack quickly became our "leader". He was a doctor and was helping the survivors with help from multiple other passengers. He seemed so calm, but then again doctors usually strive under pressure or stress. How lucky he was on this flight.

After we for the most part calmed down, I went back to walk along the water. I was staring at the ocean and at the waves washing over my feet as I walked. I looked up to see the sexy man in the wheelchair sitting on a higher part of the beach, looking out at the sea. I walked over to him and smiled, happy to see someone familiar. He smiled back with an orange piece in his mouth, and I laughed softly and blushed as I continued to walk over to him. He offered me a sliced as I was in arm's length of him and I took it, nodded to thank him and sat down. For the first time since the crash, I didn't feel alone. He made me feel happy during this confusing chaos.


	3. Man of Faith

**Locke's POV**

I was at the airport heading toward the gate for my flight. I was trying to get there as fast as possible without too many stares or offers for assistance. When I reached the gate, I saw the activity outside; this place is always so alive with planes and people. As I focused my thoughts, I _locked_ eyes with a young woman, probably in her twenties, who looked at me as if in a trance. She seemed to have realized this and looked away with rosy cheeks. I smiled at her as she looked over at me again and I saw her eyes wander to my wheel chair and flight attendants coming to help me. With that, I broke eye contact, embarrassed, and was then helped onto the plane. I could feel her eyes in the back of my head like. I did not look back so I am not sure if she looked away, I hope she did.

Once in my seat, I began to talk to a young man who was very curious in my business in Australia. I began to explain about the reason; the Walkabout I have researched for months and months. Soon the other passengers became to board the plane and I saw the same blue eyed girl who caught eyes with me earlier. I do not think she noticed me, as she was distracted. I saw the fear in her eyes and assumed from fear of flying. I also couldn't help but notice her curves. I blushed and quickly looked away before she could see me looking. With everyone seated, the plane started to move, time for lift off.

…

I try to sleep on flights but I am always unable, the sights are too much to miss. The people are interesting as well. In the midst of my observation, I feel a sudden turbulence, which is expected. It stopped for a few minutes but then came back stronger which is not expected. Shortly after, the oxygen masks dropped and the force of the turbulence began to gain strength, luggage from above the aisle down onto me. I must have been knocked unconscious during the commotion because when I woke up, I was lying on my back on a beach. Around me, the other passengers were hysterical; screaming, shouting and running around looking for whomever they were flying with. In the hysteria on the beach, all I was focusing on now was the feeling in my legs. I was staring at my feet in disbelief as my toes moved. With the realization of my now working legs, I slowly got up and began to walk, astonished. This joy was short lived as another passenger who needed help yelled to me. I ran to his side. His name was Jack and he luckily was a doctor, what are the odds.

After we had buried most of the bodies, and had mostly calmed everyone, I went to explore this beautiful island. I walked along the water and saw a woman I sat near on the plane, her name was Rose and her husband was not among the rest of us. She was starting off at the sea looking broken with teary eyes with his ring in her hand. I walked over to her and sat down, also staring out at the sea. I started light conversation, trying to lift her spirits… but my efforts did not have the intended effect. I decided to leave her alone to heal.

I came across a beautiful area and sat down to enjoy some oranges I have found. This island was my walkabout. This is what my training was for, it was my destiny.

As I was enjoying the view of the sea, I noticed the young woman from the airport walking toward me. When she noticed I was looking at her, she smiled. I returned the smile with an orange slice in my mouth, she laughed and once again her face became a slight shade of red. I offered her a slice of the orange when she was close enough. She nodded and sat down next to me. I watched her for a moment, noticing her beautiful deep blue eyes as she smiled to herself, and then my stare wandered back the sea. A grin spread across my face as well. All of a sudden there was a loud banging sound coming from the jungle. Everyone got up and looked to see, there were trees being misplaced and there was a loud sound, familiar to a train whistle. Within seconds it was gone and we tried to get some rest once the fear was misplaced with exhaustion. I began to make a shelter that would do for the night. After that I laid down and tried to sleep.

The next day came and we were sorting through the luggage from the flight. We also needed to find food, medicine and materials to build better shelters. There was some food left on the plane but that would be depleted soon. We also needed to find water, as the rain we caught would also run out soon. A small group of people set off on an adventure to find the cockpit to get a signal out for help. Jake, Kate and Charlie left the beach on their mission. In their leaving, the blue eyed girl found me again. She didn't say much but has come to me often. I think she needed the company, and I was glad to have it. We stared out at the sea once more and the sky grew dark very quickly. Her face started to brighten up with excitement. A sudden downpour was over us and everyone started to flee for cover. I stayed where I was and looked up at the sky, and smiled. I guess I was not the only one to be making the best of this situation because when I looked over, she was right there smiling at me also enjoying the rain. She looked at me and laughed, then returned her gaze to the beautifully angry sky.


	4. Deep Sleep

The rain had always been a calming thing for me. The smell, the cool breeze, the cold feel on my skin, it is even beautiful from a distance. I saw it coming, and from this point on the beach, with no buildings or power lines in the way, you could see for miles. It was stunning, so exciting to watch the storm roll in. When the sudden downpour was upon us the other day, I did not run for cover like everyone else. I looked back to see the sexy blue eyed man also enjoying the rain. I do believe he enjoyed the beauty of this island as much as I. I laughed and the returned my attention to the stunning sky.

When I looked up from my daydream of the other day, the group has returned from the trip into the mountain. They heard a repeating transmission on repeat that was in French.

I saw the blue eyed man sitting on the back with a game that I have never seen before. I walked over.

"Hi, mind if I join you?" I said shyly as I walked closer to him.

"Hi" he said back with that beautiful smile. "Of course you can."

His eyes and expression was always so soft and welcoming, I just loved his company.

"So I realized that I still do not know your name…" I said while laughing slightly

"You're right" he said "My name is John Locke."

"My name is Alora."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Alora."

I smiled "The pleasure is all mine Locke." I was giving him a smirk and a little wink, he was so attractive. He also was ok with me calling him by his last name, I liked it… Locke.

Our eyes held for a moment but I broke our stare and looked at that mystery game.

"So what is this game called? I have never seen it before." I said curious.

"It is called Backgammon. It's the oldest game in the world… Archeologists found sets when they excavated the ruins of ancient Mesopotamia. 5000 years old, that's older than Jesus Christ."

"Wow. That's pretty cool. You sure know a lot huh." I said, impressed. "I would love to hear more of these stories you must have…"

"Well I do have many to tell." He said grinning at me.

"Good." I replied, returning the grin.

We sat in silence as he was setting up the game. I watched him, and I knew he saw me because he would move his head tilted in my direction slightly and I would see that smile. I would giggle softly each time. At that moment, a random thought popped into my head, remembering a conversation I overheard the other day. "I heard that Walt is missing his dog… I hope he's ok."

He got up told me to follow him. I got up and had to jog a bit to catch up. _Those strong legs of his sure are powerful_ I thought to myself, admiring him from behind. He was a man on a mission, and I liked that. We ended up in a little clearing very close to the beach. He sat on a log and grabbed a piece of what looked like wood. He was fiddling with it. I looked at him confused.

"I'm making a whistle." He said.

"Hah. That is incredible… Is there anything you can't do?" I said, once again impressed. This man knows how to do everything it seems!

"Oh yes there is plenty…" he said looking down at the whistle he was creating.

"I doubt it, you're amazing…" I said, scooting closer to him on the log. He smiled at me and I put my hand on his thigh, watching this man turn nothing into something.

A while passed, he finished the whistle and I apparently fell asleep on him because I woke up to his beautiful face over me, my head on his shoulder. He had woken me up and once my sleepy eyes met his he said "Sleep well?" Embarrassed I sat up and apologized, I could feel my face turn red…

Laughing he put his hand out and I grabbed it as I got up. We walked onto the beach and sat near the edge of the forest. Locke began to blow the whistle he just made. We were starring into the jungle for a while; he was still blowing it every so often. There was something moving the branches in front of us… Seconds later a beautiful blonde retriever ran out of the jungle.

"You did it Locke, you found him!"

"He found us." I shook my head and laughed as I pet this beautiful dog. He was so friendly and seemed so happy to see people!

"You made and blew that whistle, it lead him to us." I said with a smirk. He came over and grabbed the leash. I watched as he walked over to Walt's father. This man is incredible… I went to sleep for the night so impressed with Locke, how generous he was. He went right to Walt's dad and handed him the leash after whispering for a bit, so selfless. I smiled and wandered off to sleep.

I woke up in darkness to some commotion near the plane on the beach. Everyone was gathered near the opening. There was something in there. I joined the crowed and ran up next to Locke, who I always found so easily. I grabbed his arm an asked what was going on, he did not know yet; no one did. People were yelling back and fourth and Sawyer had a flashlight and shown the beam of light into the plane. We all then saw little glowing eyes. They were eating the damn bodies. Jack yelled for us to run, Locke and I took off, I reached for his hand so I could keep up with him. We ran until we got to his well crafted tent. Once there, I asked "What the hell was in there?" gasping for air, still out of breath from our sprint.

"They were wild boar and young too…" he said

"Oh wow. Could we eat them? That would solve the food issue, at least for a little while…"

"Yes we can great idea." He said

"I bet you could catch one." I said "But how would you butcher it… no knifes."

He grinned at me "I have my ways, don't you worry."

"Well if you don't want me to worry, can I stay with you tonight? Those things are pretty freaky."

"Yeah of course you can, here, make yourself at home." He said, with that sexy smile of his. It makes me melt every time.

He started to make me a little place to rest apart from his. I stooped him and said

"Oh, you don't have to do that… I can just sleep with you." I laughed because I meant both, sex and sleep… _He's smart enough to catch on right?_ I think to myself.

He looked at me, and said "Oh, ok, come on over."

I knelt down on this elaborate bed he had made. He is so talented, we lucked out with him. With him already lying down, I laid next to him, facing away, and stayed that way for little while. The air itself was warm so we didn't need blankets, but the breeze was a bit chilly so I turned over and moved closer. I pulled my arm up and grabbed his shirt with my hand. He didn't pull away. I smiled as I took a deep breath, his scent was so calming. I soon drifted off to sleep. We lay together and slept this crazy day away.


	5. The Boar

I woke up in Locke's arms. I was so comfortable there I almost forgot we were stranded on this island. I have wanted a moment like this for years now. The sound of the waves crashing on the beach was so peaceful. I went to get up and moved his arm from my side, and as I let go, he grabbed it and sleepily mumbled "Helen, Stay." I turned around and said "What?" as I gently shook his shoulder. He looked at me confused and I repeated "What… who is Helen?" Uncomfortable he said "Can we talk about that later…?"

"Yes, we can." I said. He got up and smiled at me as he walked out.

He left the tent and knelt down to a silvery grey box which he opened. It was full of knifes, all different types. A huge grin spread on his face. I walked over and put my hand on his back. Looking at the knives I said Holy shit, seriously" As I laughed. He replied "Oh yes…" "So this is how you'll get that boar."

As the group went off with Locke into the jungle to hunt boar, I went to help out hauling wood to the plane. In walking over, I saw the pregnant girl around my age talking to Jack about something she found. I walked over as Jack went in the other direction, she looked discouraged, and asked what it was, and she told me it was a book of wedding plans for a couple that was on the plane that sadly didn't make it. She lit up with my interest and I said "The memorial sounds like a really good idea; I will definitely spread the word."

"Thanks" she said smiling. She kept looking down at the plan book. She was such a nice person.

"Do you know what you're having yet?" She looked down and rubbed her belly and said "No."

I could tell there was something more there, but I decided to change the subject. "Uh, do you want me to help you sort through all of these papers?"

She smiled and said "Yes, thank you."

We sat and started going through everyone's belongings. "I'm Alora by the way."

"I'm Claire, nice to meet you!" I loved how bubbly she was, so nice to have someone like that around in this time. I didn't see her talking with many other people on the island so I think she was glad to have someone to talk to. We talked about both of our pasts. Hers broke my heart, her asshole ex who got her pregnant was so happy about the baby but months later backed out and left her all alone, so she turned to adoption. She was on the way to meet the adopting couple, but now she was stuck here with all of us and a baby she was not prepared to keep. "We are all here to help you when he or she arrives… you don't have to worry Claire." She started to get emotional, leaned over to hug me and said "Thank you so much that means alot. I'm scared." She began to cry as we hugged.

Kate and Michael returned from the hunt. Michael was limping and holding onto Kate for support. I jumped up and asked "Where's Locke?"

"Michael was hurt, and Locke went off on his own… We heard that noise in the jungle, and it came from the direction Locke went…" Kate said.

"What do you mean, did you see him? Where is he?" I said franticly

"Locke's gone…That thing was moving in his direction…" Kate said

My eyes started to well up with tears. He can't be just gone. We need him.

We all moved our attention to the jungle; we heard rustling in the brush. To my amazement, Locke came out onto the beach with a boar on his back…

"Locke!" I screamed with relief, "you're ok!" He looked at us all crowding round him, and said "Don't tell me what I can't do." He walked off to prepare the boar, and I trotted after him. "Holy shit Locke, you got this thing all by yourself?"

"Yes I did… the others just dragged me down anyway." He told me the story of what had happened as he took another knife to the boar's fur. Disgusted I looked away but still listened to him. I was never much of a meat eater, but I had no choice now.

Darkness had finally come and we light the plane on fire for the ceremony. We were all gathered around as we watched the fire burn and listened to Claire reading the tickets, passports and wallet contents of the passengers who did not survive the crash. Locke always seemed so calm, even in moments, like this, sad or stressful. Michael turned to and told Locke he did good work getting that boar… _'Damn right'_ I thought ' _He would have got it sooner if you kept your damn mouth shut_ …' I rolled my eyes. Michael always annoyed me, since we arrived on this island. I looked at Locke who was staring at something in the fire… He took my hand and smiled, and I smiled back. I was so happy he was ok. I followed his gaze and saw a wheelchair. I totally forgot that he was in one when I saw him… I looked at him again in shock and he looked at me as well. When he saw the expression on my face he said "what is it?" I replied with "oh, noting." and went back to gazing at the fire, holding his arm.

 **Lockes POV**

The group had arrived from their trip into the mountains. They were trying to get high enough for the receiver to catch a signal but they were unsuccessful, that is what I gathered from my view from the beach. I was setting up a game I had found, backgammon. I heard foot steps and it turned out to be the blue eyed girl that has been hanging around me since we ended up on this beautiful island. I could tell she was shy, we haven't spoke at all yet, but she finally spoke with a soft Hi. I returned the greeting and then she introduced herself. ' _Alora, what a beautiful name_ ' I thought to myself. She was curious about the game I was fiddling with, it was something she was not familiar with, I could tell by her confused expression. I explained it to her and she seemed impressed with my knowledge. I wasn't sure if she was easily impressed or was impressed by me personally. She was such a young girl, what would she possibly want with me.

We sat in silence for a while when she broke it with something about the young boy, Walt, and how his dog is missing. An idea popped into my mind. I got up and said "Come on, follow me." She jumped up and followed me to a little shaded spot just near our camp on the beach. I sat on a log, grabbed a thick piece woody grass and she sat next to me. She looked confused and I told her I was going to make a whistle. She smiled at me and playfully struck my arm laughing slightly as she said "That is incredible… Is there anything you can't do?" I chuckled and replied with "Oh yes there is plenty…" With that, she moved closer to me on the log bench and put her hand on my thigh as I continued to whittle this woody twig. This surprised me, but I didn't move away. She must have been tired. Soon after she cuddled up close to me, she started to drift off. Her head gently started to fall on my lap; she was so peaceful I didn't want to wake her, so I kept carving. Even after I was done with it, I let her sleep, she obviously needed the rest. I would never complain about a woman's head on my lap, and God knows it has been a while since one has been…and I was not complaining.

She started to stir awake; I was looking at her and asked her if she slept well. She was still sleepy and when she finally realized she was laying on me, she shot up and apologized, so embarrassed. She turned the cutest shade of red. I laughed at this cuteness I reassured her it was fine and put my hand out. She took it and together we walked until we sat on the beach near the edge of the jungle. I began to blow the whistle hoping the dog would hear it and come to it. After a while of starring into the jungle, I blew it once more and we heard rustling in front of us. She was so surprised when a golden came running out from the jungle. When she was done playing with this friendly pup, I brought him over to Walt's father, Michael and told him to surprise the boy with him. After I handed the dog over, I walked Alora to her tent and I went back to the backgammon set until dark.

I was woken up by people talking. I looked out and Jack, Sawyer and Kate were looking at the plane on the beach. Something was in there making a lot of noise. The commotion got louder and soon more people were crowded around, curious to what was in there. I felt Alora's hands around my arm, she looked tired and had asked me what was going on but we didn't know yet. Sawyer flashed his light over near the commotion and pairs of glowing eyes appeared. They looked like boars, and they squealed and ran toward us. Jack yelled for us to run, and she grabbed my hand as we ran to my tent. We had a brief conversation about the boars. I could catch one and we could have food for a bit. I just need to find my knife set. She asked me if she could stay the night with me, they have scared her. I welcomed her in and began to make her a little mattress like mine but she said I didn't have to. I was hoping I was hiding my excitement as well as I thought I was… it has been a long time since I shared a bed with a woman. I didn't expect anything; I can never tell what is going on in her pretty head. I told her to come on over. She lay down next to me facing the other way. A while later I woke up to her hands on my shirt. She had turned around now and took a deep breath before falling asleep. Her small sighs were adorable and so soothing to me. I have missed this kind of company. I hoped she would start something, but in hoping I fell asleep with her scent filling my lungs.

…

I woke up briefly to her still asleep on me, her hands wrapped around mine. We fit together so well. I went back to sleep and had a dream about Helen, a woman from my past. I abruptly woke up to Alora shaking my shoulders. She had a confused look on her face and I was just as confused. She then said "What… Who is Helen?" I hesitated and then finally said "Can we talk about that later…?" She agreed and I got up and went to look for my knife set… I will have to talk to her about my past at some point; I can't run from it forever, well actually, now I could.

I find my knife set. I open it and a grin grows on my face. She comes up behind me a puts a hand on my back. It sends chills through my whole body when she touches me. I hear her say "Holy shit, seriously" as she notices the box. I laugh at her use of words and reply with "Oh yes…" She then says "So this is how you'll get that boar." With that I head off with Kate and Michael to catch this animal.

I am tracking the boar. We are close now. I explain that they use the trees to scratch their tusks and some more information, only Kate seems to be absorbing. Michael will not keep quiet, and he spooks the boar and gets a tusk right in the damn leg. I fall to the ground, as does Kate from the animals running force. She helps him up, and as I wake from the shock, I still feel my legs, get up and head off to catch that boar.

That noise from our first night on the island surrounds me. The trees in front of me move and break as I am face to face with this creature… In awe as it wanders away from me, I get that boar and walk back to camp. Alora, teary eyed comes running my way saying "Locke! You're ok!" She seems relieved and I'm flattered that she cares. I am like her hero or something, so good for my old ego.

I start to butcher the boar and she looks away. I have a feeling she doesn't like blood, so adorable. After that is done we all eat and at sundown we start the memorial type service Claire has organized with Alora. I see my wheelchair in the blaze and smirk, I no longer am chained to you, and I'm free. I look down at Alora and the look on her face is something I haven't really seen before. Almost as if she was scared or something has frightened her. I ask 'what is it" and she replies with with "oh, noting." and went back to gazing at the fire, her arm tightly around mine.

"what is it?" I replied with "oh, noting." and went back to gazing at the fire, holding his arm.


	6. Destiny

We walk back to Locke's shelter. I am still in shock… _I saw him in a wheelchair before we were on the plan… Maybe he just needed it because of easy fatigue?_ I thought to myself on the walk. I was still clinging to his arm thinking to myself when I hear him say "What is on your mind?"

"Uh nothing" I blurt out

"Really, nothing makes you cling to my arm like this?" He says pointing to my white knuckle grip

"Sorry" I say and let go, rubbing it apologetically. We get to the shelter and he holds the door flap open for me and I walk in. He follows and says "Tell me what's on your mind"

I sign, look into his eyes and begin "You know, when I first saw you… in the airport, you were in a…" He interrupts me "a wheelchair" "Yes. I say "Earlier at the ceremony, I saw you looking at something, as I followed your gaze I saw it. The stress of the crass must have made me forget. And honestly I thought nothing of it, but I also remember how the other day I was admiring you legs." I pause and I can feel my cheeks flush "I was admiring how strong they were when you lead me to the jungle to make the dog whistle… I just assumed in the airport you needed it obviously, but I assumed it was because of fatigue or something? If you couldn't walk how…" He interrupted again "How can I walk now?"

"Yes" I reply

"Well" he begins "I'm not really sure. I feel different here, Alora. This island is special. It is almost like it was my destiny to come here… to, to be able to walk, to do things and help people. That must sound crazy…"

I put my hand on his folded knee "That doesn't sound crazy" I say "We are all here for a reason. If we were supposed to just crash and die, you and Jack and Sayid wouldn't be here. We would be doomed without you guys and there is no way that y'all being here is a coincidence." He looks at me with an ear to ear grin. "Yes, that is what I was thinking. But as soon as I woke up on that beach… I felt different. My legs could move, before the island, at the airport I was bound to that wheelchair. Earlier, I was starring at my wheelchair because I am free from it."

I smile at him and walk on my knees over and hug him. He doesn't think I am crazy either. With my arms still around him, we are face to face and there is something in the air… almost static surrounding us. I have never felt anything like this before. _What do I do?_ I think to myself. It is like someone has hit the pause button on us. I look at him lips, so badly wanting them on mine… He is looking at me. I think he is holding back, he probably thinks I'm too young to be interest in him. My hands are still around his neck I go to let my arms down but he stops me. His hands lightly touch my underarm which tickles me, sending me giggling on him by mistake. He laughs and touches the back on my head as I'm basically on his shoulder. I go to get up, and go back to sitting on the bed, and as I back up, my hands are on his knees. I go to get up but moves closer to my face and I smile. He doesn't lean in quite yet; I'm so _lost_ in his eyes I can't even move. All of a sudden we both hear a commotion outside, ruining this movie magic moment. I look at him, startled out of my trance and we both get up to go see what is going on. Everyone is gathered on the beach. In looking at the ocean, I see that someone is out there screaming for help, drowning. Jack dives in and rescues him. There is someone else out there, but as Jack lays Boone on the beach to go after her, it is too late.

"Oh my god, did that really just happen?" I say

"Yeah, we need to be careful… Ocean currents are very strong." He replies and I hold tight to him. I look over and see Jack and Kate having an intense conversation.

"I hope he doesn't blame himself…" I say

"I'm sure he doesn't" he says "Maybe he is upset that we didn't know her well."

"Yeah, that is pretty sad." I reply

I see Kate going through clothes and I walk over and go help her. Shortly after Claire comes over looking for a hair brush and she feels faint "no, haven't seen one." Kate says "You'd think that is something we'd have the most of, weird…" Claire replies as she sits down to help us. We are all talking and laughing, and after a while Claire gets up and wanders. Kate and I continue to fold and sort the clothes. Soon she says she can handle the rest and I go off to find Locke. I meet up with him and we wander together. I see Walt go over to Kate, exclaiming she needs to follow him, but I am too far to hear what he is saying. I see Charlie and Michael carrying Claire and I run to them. She has fainted from the heat and lack of water. Charlie goes to get Claire water but he can't find it, we are out of it…

I run back to Locke to explain everything that just happened and he says "I will go get some water, I know where to look." I smile at him and give him a hug before he is off.

Locke comes back with some water. He tells me that he saved Jack from falling off a cliff. "Are you a superhero?" I say to him laughing

"I was just in the right place at the right time" he says humbly. I am so impressed with this man. "You're amazing" I say to him.

He just smiles and nudges my arm. We both drink some of the water he brought back, after giving Claire some first. We hear Charlie yelling at Boone and we all gather around. He had 3 bottles of water and we were all confused. People were screaming, starting fights… Jack appears out of no where giving a speech about we need to work together, and also saying he found endless water in the jungle. "If we can't live together, we are going to die alone." Jack exclaims

He is our official leader, even though I think Locke had some advice to give to him in that in the jungle… "We will take a group up at first light" he says

The next morning Jack, Kate, Locke and Charlie were getting ready for the hike into the jungle to bring us fresh water from the jungle. I was there with Locke and we, along with Charlie were listening to Jack and Kate basically flirting. It was so funny. She was saying how he and his tattoos don't ass up… Then I hear "The great white hunter's getting restless" Charlie says and I laugh out loud. Locke winks at me and laughs to himself and they are off.

Kate and Jack come back. "Where are Locke and Charlie?" I ask

"They are staying in the caves to salvage the wreckage." Kate says

"Caves" I ask

"Yeah, where the water is… we found bodies there and Jack think we can live there" she says

"Well shit, I miss all of the interesting things huh?" I say

"Well, you missed the bees" she says pointing to multiple sting wounds on her body.

"Oh, well that is good! I hate bees" I respond

"So Jack and Sayid are talking to everyone, figuring out who wants to stay on the beach or go to the caves." She explains "What do you think you will do?"

"I will probably go wherever Locke decides to go." I reply

"So, you're pretty fond of Locke huh?" she asks

"Oh yes, totally!" What about you and Jack? I've seen you two talking, I actually talked to him before out flight" I say laughing

"I'm not sure actually. I mean he is pretty cute but, he is distracted by something."

"Yeah that is true. If I ever get off this island, I am sure Locke and I will leave together." I say

…

Come nightfall, a group of us head to the caves. Once there, I find Locke and run up to him. "I've missed you!" I say hugging him

"You have? What did I miss?" he asks

"You, what have I missed! Kate told me about the bodies…?" I say

We sit down and he start to tell me everything that has gone on so far. I listen, constantly surprised. I really have missed him

 **Locke's POV**

I just watched my wheelchair burn. It is so satisfying to be free. I can walk and run here. I can do things without being told I can't. Alora seems distracted since the fire ceremony; her grip on my arm makes her knuckles white. She stares straight ahead and I ask "What is on your mind?"

"Uh nothing" she blurts out

"Really, nothing makes you cling to my arm like this?" I say pointing to my arm

"Sorry" she says, rubbing it apologetically. We get to the shelter and I hold the door flap open for her. I follow and say "Tell me what's on your mind"

She sighs and looks into his eyes and begins "You know, when I first saw you… in the airport, you were in a…" I interrupt her "a wheelchair" "Yes. She says "Earlier at the ceremony, I saw you looking at something, as I followed your gaze I saw it. The stress of the crass must have made me forget. And honestly I thought nothing of it, but I also remember how the other day I was admiring you legs." She pauses, and her cheeks become red "I was admiring how strong they were when you lead me to the jungle to make the dog whistle… I just assumed in the airport you needed it obviously, but I assumed it was because of fatigue or something? If you couldn't walk how…" I interrupt her again "How can I walk now?"

"Yes" she replies

"Well" I begin "I'm not really sure. I feel different here, Alora. This island is special. It is almost like it was my destiny to come here… to, to be able to walk, to do things and help people. That must sound crazy…" I look up at her welcoming expression. She then puts her hand on my folded knee "That doesn't sound crazy" she says "We are all here for a reason. If we were supposed to just crash and die, you and Jack and Sayid wouldn't be here. We would be doomed without you guys and there is no way that y'all being here is a coincidence." I look at her with an ear to ear grin. "Yes, that is what I was thinking. But as soon as I woke up on that beach… I felt different. My legs could move, before the island, at the airport I was bound to that wheelchair. Earlier, I was starring at my wheelchair because I am free from it." I say

She smiles at me and walks on her knees over to hug me. I put my arms around her back that is over my legs. Her arms are still around my neck, we lock eyes. This moment feels different. I have been with many women in my life and this exact moment with them has never felt like this. It feels right. She looks at my lips. _I should kiss her, but is that really what she wants or is she using me to deal with the stress of the crash._ I think to myself. Her hands start to move from my neck, I'm going to lose my chance. I put my hands under her harm to stop her from moving them, she must be ticklish because she giggles and jolts on to me. I laugh and caress the back of her head. I hear a soft moan escape from her soft lips. She goes to get up, she back up away from me her hands on my knees. As she is about to get up I move closer to her face. She is so beautiful. We gaze at each other and all I want to do is take her to the bed and show her how I feel. I start to move in the kiss her lips when there is a loud commotion outside. She looks at me as if startled and I grab her hand to help her up.

Everyone is gathered on the beach looking out to sea. I catch up to their stares and fine that someone is out there screaming, drowning. Jack jumps up and goes in after them. He manages to rescue one of the two, Boone. He tries to save the second but he is too late.

"Oh my god, did that really just happen?" she says

"Yeah, we need to be careful… Ocean currents are very strong." I say. She grabs my arm and holds tight.

…

Later that day I am wandering the beach when Alora comes up to me. I continue to walk up the beach with her and she notices something is going on with Claire. She runs to her and then returns to me "Claire passed out. Probably from the heat and lack of water…" she exclaims "Also, the water is gone"

"I will go get some; I know where to look…" I reply. She smiles at me, impressed. She is so good for my ego, but honestly I just want to use these legs and help. I go off into the jungle.

I return with some water I retrieved from leaves. I luckily crossed paths with Jack and helped him from falling off a cliff. I tell Alora this and she asks laughing "Are you a superhero?"

"I was just in the right place at the right time" I say.

"You're amazing" she says. I just smile and nudge her arm. As we go to drink what he has brought back, we hear Charlie yelling at Boone and we all gather around. He had 3 bottles of water. People were screaming, starting fights… Jack appears out of no where giving a speech about we need to work together, and also saying he found endless water in the jungle. "If we can't live together, we are going to die alone." Jack exclaims

I'm glad he listened to my speech in the jungle. "We will take a group up at first light" he adds. I head to my shelter to get everything ready for the trip tomorrow.

The next morning I meet Jack, Kate, and Charlie at the spot. We start getting ready for the hike into the jungle to bring back fresh water. Alora was with me. She and Charlie were listening to Jack and Kate basically flirting. I hear Charlie speak up "The great white hunter's getting restless" and Alora laughs. I shoot her a wink and laugh to myself as we head off to the jungle.

"This is it." Jack says. I am in awe. "It's amazing" I say

"Hey guys" Charlie says looking at the wreckage "Shouldn't someone look through this stuff. Could be something useful in here" We had Jack our water bottles for him to fill and I notice Charlie goes off, straying from us. I follow and tell him not to move. Jack followed by Kate comes shortly after. "What's going on?" Jack asks. "Shhh, He is standing on a beehive" I reply "What's that doing there? Beehives are supposed to be in trees" Charlie says startled. "I don't like bees ok…I have an irrational fear of bees." He adds "Please be quiet" I say calmly. Jack goes to find something to cover the hive. Jack finds an old suitcase and attempts to cover the hive but before he can, Charlie moves and splits the hive. Bees swarm us, and we flea. Once they scatter, Charlie and I go back to the cave and find Jack and Kate. There are two bodies there. "Our own Adam and Eve" I say.

Kate and Jack head back to the beach while Charlie and I stay behind. I call Charlie out on his drug use. In exchange for the drugs, I show him to his guitar, he smiles.

Come nightfall, a small group head to the caves. "Short walk, they lied" Hurley says, winded. I see Alora and she runs up to me "I've missed you!" she says hugging me

"You have? What did I miss?" I ask

"You, what have I missed! Kate told me about the bodies…?" she exclaims

We sit down and I tell her what the last few hours have held. She listens eagerly and I realized that I missed her too.


	7. Animals

I wake up and roll over to an empty bed, Locke is gone. I roll back over and fall back asleep. I wake up to a loud sound and cries from people near me in the caves. I get up and notice everyone crowded around the opening of cave we were clearing. Jack is stuck inside and I see Charlie run into the jungle in the direction on the beach. I still don't see Locke so I start to help clearing the rocks and hand out water when Charlie volunteers to go inside the small opening Michael found. Shortly after, Walt yells "There's the doctor" and we all turn around to see Jack and Charlie walking toward us, mostly unharmed. Kate runs up to him, and I am wondering where Locke is.

It is night time before I see Locke. He has been out hunting, and butchering a boar for us all day. He has it over the fire with a rack he has made from sticks. Charlie comes up to him and they both look agitated. I walk up to them concerned. Charlie throws something in the fire as I walk up and Locke smiles and says "I'm proud of you Charlie." I say what's going on, you guys alright. "We're fine" Charlie says as he looks up smiling. I follow his gaze to see a huge moth and freak out. I seriously hate moths. I run up close to Locke who is laughing at me. He looks up as well and smiles as he holds on to me hiding in his dirty shirt.

"It's gone now" Locke says laughing. I look up at him and say "Stop laughing at me!" He looks at me and runs his thumb over my cheek. 'You've got blood on you" he says "probably from my shirt." "Oh my god" I reply disgusted, backing away from him. He doesn't let of go of my hand so I drag him over to the water. I cup my hands together and bring it to my face, splashing water on me. He used a rag to wash the blood from my face and I notice he has stains all over his shirt. Blood is everywhere. "You need to clean that shirt" I say. He looks down and says "You know you're right". He begins to walk away and he grabs my hand. We walk down to the beach where the full moon illuminates the ocean. We do our laundry here. The breeze is blowing perfectly to keep my loose hairs out of my face. He heads to the water and dips his hands in the water rubbing his hands together. I dip my hands in the water and splash him, flicking my wet fingers at him. He smiles at me and splashes me back. We continue splashing each other until we are both completely soaked. Breathing heavy I ask "Can we wash your shirt now? Seriously the blood is making me sick". Laughing he says "Yes lets. I don't want you to be sick". Breaking our gaze he takes his blood covered shirt off. I can feel myself start to blush, but it is covered by darkness. I'm not sure to look away or just be cool, but my mind makes an alternate choice of being awkward and I blurt out "whoa". I see his smile in moonlight, and a nice body usually hidden with a shirt. I laugh nervously trying to again act cool, because all I want to do is touch him. We walk down to the water and he starts rubbing the shirt together to release the blood.

Once done cleaning the shirt to the best of our power he hangs it to dry on the old shelter he made when we first crashed on this island. We wait there for it to dry; it will probably be a while. We are sitting on the bed and the breeze has become cooler, it is late. "Cold" he asks as he lights a small torch. I must have been shivering, and once the flame lightly illuminates the shelter I cuddle up close to him and he rubs his hands on my arms to warm me up. I lay my head on his chest. I forgot he was shirtless so I laugh at the sweaty stickiness. "What's so funny?" he asks. "Oh… I just forgot you were shirtless. You're sticky" I respond half laughing, half embarrassed. "That's alright" he says. The sound of his breathing and heartbeat are so calming. I am almost asleep when his arms move slightly, waking me up just enough to moan lightly and lick my lips. I hear him laugh to himself and I tilt my head up with my eyes still closed. "What's so funny?" I ask "Nothing, just try to sleep." He says I move myself a bit and grab his hand. I meant I wrap them around my arm, but instead his hand lands on my knee, which tickles and I sleepily moan and laugh simultaneously as I jolt up in bed. "Laughing he says "You sure are ticklish, huh."

"Yes, very much, I meant to put your hand around mine…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes" I gasp "I mean god knows I would love…" I stop myself

"What's that?" he asks. I look at him; sweat beads all over his body, shirtless. I just stare before saying what I want to say. I look at him and finally say "I want you to kiss me." I say, licking my lips and looking at him.

"What?" he asks

"You heard me… Kiss me" I say, walking over to him on my knees. I straddle him and put my arms around his neck. "I can't be the only one who wants it, right?" I whisper in his ear. I run my lips on his cheeks until we are face to face. I look down at his shirtless torso. I am admiring his chest with my eyes and hands when his hand caresses my cheek. I can tell he is holding back. "You're half asleep, are you sure?" he says softly

"Yes, I have been thinking about this moment since I laid eyes on you…" I say looking into his eyes "Don't you want to kiss me Locke?" I say smiling at him.

"Come here." He says and I listen and move my head closer to him. He runs his hand through my hair, pulling my head closer to his and I close my eyes. He finally kisses me just right, like a pro. As he pulls away I am stuck in front of him… I don't want him to stop. I lean into him and we kiss again. I feel chills run down my spine. I haven never been kissed like this before.

 **Locke's POV**

I have used Charlie as bait to catch another boar. He was not very happy about it… Charlie asks me for the drugs. I tell him he has three chances to ask me before I give them to him, so he has a real choice. I then grab the animals head and slit its throat and Charlie heads to the caves.

It has taken me hours to completely skin the boar. Charlie comes back looking defeated. He tells me that there was an accident at the caves and Jack was stuck inside. He asks for his stash again and I walk him over to a moth's cocoon. I give him a speech on strength and it seems to work… for now.

I return to the caves with the boar. I make a place to rest it over the fire with wood I have gathered. I notice Alora before she notices me. I haven't seen her all day; I left to hunt before she was awake. Charlie walks up to me and asks me for the drugs again; the third time. I hand them over disappointed, but he surprises me by throwing the bag into the fire. I tell him I am proud of him and Alora walks over with a curious expression. We are fine however. Charlie and I both look up and see a moth, which must have been from the cocoon I showed him earlier. It's magnificent. My attention is then brought to Alora's screams. She then runs up to me and I laugh. She hides her face in my shirt and I can't tell her she has face planted into boar blood. She touches me a lot and every time I hold back.

I tell her the moth is gone now, laughing. She looks up at me and tells me to stop laughing at her. I notice her dirty face 'You've got blood on you" I say "Oh my god" she replies totally disgusted, backing away from me. I don't let her run off; I hold her hand as she drags me to the water hole where she splashes her face. I have a rag and use it to wipe her face off, cleaning it. She looks at my filthy shirt and tells me I need to clean it. I look down and agree. I begin to walk off in the direction of the beach and grab her hand. The moon is full tonight so we can both easily see the trail. I bring her to the so called laundry spot before we discovered the caves. There is a nice breeze tonight. I head to the water and she follows. I feel water hitting me and I look over to see her smile illuminated by moonlight along with her fingers, splashing me. I bend over to catch water in my hand to splash her back which begins a splash war. After a while we are both soaked and she asks if we can wash my shirt. She is definitely never going to help me butcher anything and I laugh. I break gaze as I lift the shirt over my head to take it off. I soon hear her exclaim "whoa". I smile and she laughs almost nervously. I walk down to the ocean again and start to wash my shirt.

I have been rubbing this shirt for a while now and I can assume it is now clean. I am not sure though because of the night not letting me see. I walk up to my old shelter and hang it up in the doorway to dry. Alora and I sit on the bed in silence as it is late and we are both tired. I light a small torch in the corner and it illuminates just enough. She seems to be shivering lightly. I go sit on the bed with her and she cuddles up next to me. I wrap my arms around her and rub them to warm her up at bit. She starts to lay her head on my chest, but starts to laugh. Confused I ask "What's so funny?" "Oh… I just forgot you were shirtless. You're sticky" she answers shyly giggling. "That's alright" I say. I have stared to notice when she is calm and about to sleep, she inhales long and exhales loudly, and I love the sound. I accidently move a bit, waking her, and hear the sweetest sleepy moan, followed by her licking her lips. All I want to do is kiss her. Touch her all over with my lips, but instead I admire her and laugh to myself. She hears me and tilts her head up and asks what's so funny. I laugh at her a lot… I just find her amusing and all the things she does are so innocent. I tell her it was nothing and that she should sleep. She moves to get comfortable again. She grabs my hand and puts it on her knee. The next thing I know, a sleepy moan escapes her lips and she has jumped up in bed laughing. "You sure are ticklish, huh." I say teasing her

"Yes, very much, I meant to put your hand around mine…"

"Are you sure?" I say

"Yes" she gasps "I mean god knows I would love…" she stops

"What's that?" I ask. She stares at me for a bit before speaking again.

"I want you to kiss me" she says, licking my lips and looking at him.

"What?" I say, making sure she knows what she is saying

"You heard me… Kiss me" she repeats. She starts moving toward me on her knees, and then straddles me, putting her arms around my neck. "I can't be the only one who wants it, right?" I whisper in his ear. This drives me wild. She then I runs her lips over my cheek until we are face to face. She looks down at my shirtless chest, and touches me. She knows all the right places to touch… I caress her cheek, but holding back once more I softly say "You're half asleep, are you sure?"

"Yes, I have been thinking about this moment since I laid eyes on you…" she says looking into my eyes "Don't you want to kiss me Locke?" she says smiling at me.

"Come here." I say and she listens. I run my hands through her thick, soft hair gently pulling her closer to me. I close my eyes and prepare my lips to meet hers. It feels too good and I pull away. I open my eyes and hers are still closed, and she leans in this time, kissing me. I hear soft moans from her before she inhales deeply. It has been a long time since I have kissed like this. I want to keep going. Do more to her… I cannot just give into my animal instinct. I have control after all. That is what makes me more than just an animal.

.


	8. Screams

I fall back gently onto the bed and lay down. Locke lies down beside me and I kiss him again, putting his arm on my back. We unlock lips and I move right up next to him so our skin can touch. "I really like you Locke" I say

"Well I hope so" he replies. I can't tell if he is being smart, since we just kissed. He probably assumes I'm from the generation that can kiss with no feelings, which is true but I honestly am not a huge fan of kissing. For me it's a big deal to do it and actually like it at all. "No really. I haven't kissed many guys. The ones I did were overpowering or sloppy. But you… you're perfect, I'm serious. And I have also never felt this way before. I love the time we spend together. I feel so calm with you."

"Well I'm truly flattered you feel this way." I can see something in his eye, he is not convinced. "What…" I begin "Something is on your mind, I can tell." He smirks at me. "Does it have to do with Helen?" I ask. He looks surprised, as if he is wondering how I could know that name. "You called me Helen one morning as I was getting up… a few weeks ago, when I first spent the night. That's how I know of the name…" "Oh yes. I recall that day now." "Yeah, would you want to talk about that now?" I ask. "They all say they will stay but they never do. I always start off saying why me, you could do so much better." I look down at my hands "I'm not a heart breaker Locke. I just get heartbroken." I look up at him as he begins "Helen was my girlfriend. I met her in group therapy after my birth father conned me for my kidney. I became obsessed and would constantly visit his house, though he would always shoo me off the property. He had gotten what he needed so I was no use for him anymore. I became depressed and Helen was the one who helped me to get over the obsession of needing him in my life. He later came to me for help and I helped him against Helen's advice. She left me shortly after she found out I had helped him. I expected her to stay and she left." He trails off. We sit in Silence for a while and I reach out to hold his hand. He starts talking again and I listen with open ears. "I lived a long time without thinking of him. Then one day a young man knocked on my door needing assistance on my father, who was about to marry his mother. I met with my father and told him to not marry her, per the son's request. We fight in his hotel room and he ends up pushing me out of the eight story window" He pauses and I tighten my grip on his hand. "I fell through the window and I still remember how it felt hitting the ground. It's a miracle I survived… like God touched me to make sure I survived." "I… I am so sorry John…" I say. "Don't be sorry. We all go through painful things in life, and we get through it." He says. "Oh I know, it's funny, after all that I've been through, I still look for 'the one'. Like the hope is still there after all the pain." I say.

"So what about you, do you have a Helen?" He asks.

"Oh yes… I have lots of Helens" I say laughing. He looks at me with one brow lifted. "Well, thinking about it, honestly just one. I met him right after I graduated high school. We started talking online and met the next day which is so unlike me. Things seemed too good to be true, even when we met… it was crazy. It felt so natural, we just watched TV and talked and later looked at his family photo albums. I found out that we grew up in the same town and went to the same middle school. I ended up staying the night but we didn't do anything funny. I actually got in trouble the next day but I was 18 so I saw him again the next day. Everything just went so well, and I felt totally comfortable. It wasn't until we had sex for the first time, my first time I want to add, that he told me he liked another girl. I said I didn't mind but that was the first of many lies I would tell myself so I didn't lose him. And this went on for years… on and off. Off while he dated the girls he wanted. During those short time when he was with these other girls, we wouldn't see each other or talk, but I would answer right away when he texted me saying come over when that girl of the month didn't work. I was in denial for so long but I loved him." I say looking down, but continue "The guys I have been interested in talk a lot but do not deliver much but disappointment. We talk for months and they say I'm great and all that but they never want a commitment. Honestly, my one real relationship was in high school, and that only lasted six months. It's sad. All these guys want from me seems to be sex; I'm not a person to them. They act like that's not the case but actions speak louder than words. I'm never good enough for them it seems. They use me until they find what they really want, like he did. And I'm stupid enough to have hoped that they will maybe fall for me."

"You're not stupid for having hope." He says "That is very brave."

"People say that… but isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome." I ask

"Well yes, but with love I believe it's different. Plus if they say one thing than it's not the same…" he says

"Thank you John. I say smiling at him. I move next to him and hold his hand again. "I can tell you're different. You have had so many opportunities to do what you want with me but you don't." I say laying my head in his shoulder.

"Well, just because I could doesn't mean I should… I am a gentleman after all." He says

"Oh I know. It's refreshing..." I say trailing off

"What… go on finish." He says

I laugh and look down "Well, I mean… I'd like to think you would at some point not hold back. And before you say it, yes you're older than me and no I am not bothered one bit, I prefer older guys actually. Also, if we were off the island, I would react in the same way to seeing you as I did in the airport and I'd feel the same as I do now. You're so attractive Locke, on the inside and out, you're a good man and I wouldn't argue at all if you wanted to show me the man you keep fighting. Your restraint makes me want you even more honestly."

He smiles at me and I smile back at him. He gently puts his fingertips on my cheek and brings my face closer to his and kisses me. I giggle and he stops "No don't stop… I'm sorry, I just love this. Don't stop" I scoot closer and my knee rests on his thigh. He inhales at the touch and I lean in to kiss him. Our lips touch and he grabs my head, slightly pulling my hair. I get on my knees and kneel in front of him without missing one kiss. I pull away and he looks at me confused. I run my hands down his chest and then playfully push him back so he is against the back of the shelter. He smiles at me "Oh alright" he says laughing. I bite my lip and laugh as I climb onto his lap. We kiss again, our breathing is in sync. I lead my lips down his neck and a moan escapes from his tamed mouth. His hands start to trace my curves. I move his hands down so they land on my ass, I then take my shirt off and he grabs my arms that are momentarily tangled. I smile and he kisses me hard on the lips. I moan as his hands again go down my body. "Please don't stop." I whisper. I can feel his excitement. I start to unlatch his belt and get at the goods and I feel him tense up. "What, it's ok… I want to. Please god let me" I say.

"I just wanted to make sure, I don't think I can hold back much longer" he replies and I smile as I am presented with a big surprise. I am treating him like a Popsicle on a hot summer day and he is going crazy. He is touching my head and face as I am pleasing him and it is driving me wild. I am doing my thing and he says "Get up" and I get up. He kisses my body as he takes off my pants and panties. "Oh my god" I say as his tongue touches me for the first time. He keeps going, it's amazing and I can't stop moaning. I have my hand on his head. "Oh Locke…. Locke. Oh my god, John… John, wait. Hmmm" He stops "Mmmm oh my god, can I lay down" I say breathing deeply.

"Yes you can" he says. I lay down on the bed, he gets down to go back to what he started but I pull him up and kiss him, tasting myself on his tongue. He begins to kiss down my body and then goes to town between my legs again. He is so good at this… I can't keep quiet. "Oh my god" I moan. "Don't stop, yes…Oh my god, yes, mmm". He sends his hands up my thigh. "I'm so close, John come here…" He looks up at me. "Come here" I repeat. He comes over and I kiss him again and wrap my legs around him. I kiss him everywhere I can reach in his grasp, all over his face and neck. "I want to feel you inside me" I whisper. He teases me, getting me ready. "Mmmm, please" I moan. He eases into me and my nails grip into his back. "Oh my god…" I moan "Locke, oh my god will you fit?" I say giggling and moaning.

"I'll make it fit" he says kissing and gently biting my neck. I laugh "I like that…. Mmmm Oh wow" I scream as he pushes inside me. He covers my mouth with his hand. "Mmmm… mmmm" I moan. He thrusts in and out of me. "If I take my hand away, will you stay quiet" he asks. I nod yes and he lets his hand go. He thrusts into me stronger with two hands free. I open my mouth, but no noise comes out as I am trying to stay quiet. I gently bite down on his neck as I come. I have never felt this before with a man and I am at a loss for words. I let go my bite and only a faint gasp escapes my lips. He backs up out of me and I jump to my knees in front of him to lick me off of him. I look up at him and say "Am I gonna have to cover your mouth now?" He laughs and says "You may have to, yes." I laugh and get back to work on him. He grabs my shoulder and I go faster. His grip gets harder and I moan as he comes in my mouth. I drink him like my life depends on it. We both lay back down on the bed satisfied. I cuddle up to him and kiss him for a long while. I lay on his arm. I start to feel my eyes water and I hope he doesn't notice. A tear slips from my eye, and then another. He turns over a bit to brush what he thinks is a bug or something from his arm but when he wipes my tears from his arm he looks at me. "Are you ok, what's wrong?" I look at him then look down, I start fiddling with my hands. He grabs my hands and I look up to him again. He wipes my eyes with his thumb and asks me again what is wrong. "What we just did… was spectacular. I… I've never had anything close to that in my entire life… You kissed me during, like…" I look away and my eyes well with tears. "It felt different, meaningful…" I choke up "They always leave before anything like this could even happen and I don't want you to leave like they did." I start to cry and he wraps his arms around me. "I won't leave, Alora. You have my word. I have nowhere in the world to be" he says. I believe him, but tears still stream down my face. He grabs the back of my head with his strong yet gentle hand and kisses my cheek. I am in his arms for a while; he holds me until I stop crying. Once I have calmed down we lie down together. "I'm sorry…" I say

"Sorry for what?" He asks

"I just cried… for an embarrassingly long time, in your arms." I reply

"Don't be sorry. I am sorry that you have been treated poorly in the past, but I am glad I was able to give you something you deserved." He says

"I am too. It was so amazing John. It is definitely more than a coincidence that we are here right now." I say looking at him in bed. "Destiny…" he says looking at me with a growing smile. I grab the hand supporting his head and bring him over to me so I can kiss him. "Exactly" I say. We hold each other listening to the wave's crash on the beach and fall asleep.

…

I wake up to Locke shaking my shoulder gently. "What" I ask

"I heard a scream… I thought it was you but you were sleeping" he says

"Where did it come from then" I ask

"I think the caves" he replies

"I'm sure Jack will get things under control… can we wait until morning to see what happened?" I ask sleepily

"Yes of course" he says. I lie back down and fall back asleep.

…

I wake up in Locke's arms. I lay there with my eyes closed listening to the waves and to his breathing; both are equally soothing to me. I turn over, away from him to see the ocean through the tarp flapping back and forth in the breeze. I must have fallen back asleep because I'm startled awake by Locke running his hand over my forearm.  
"Good morning" he says smiling

"Hi, morning" I roll over to look at him. "I woke up a little while ago; I must have fallen back asleep" I say.

"I must have tired you out last night then…" he says with a smirk.

"Oh yes for sure, oh my god" I say laughing. "It was so amazing…"

"It really was, wasn't it" he says

"Um… was that the best you've had?" I ask curiously

"It was by far the best for sure. I have never had a woman so eager to please me…" he says

"Really, it seems like we both have had selfish lovers huh." I say.

"It appears so. You're what every man dreams of" he says

"Awe, John. A man like you is what I have been looking for. You're they guy in movies and TV shows girls fall for. Also, before we start anything up again, do you wanna go find out what the screaming was all about?" I ask

"Oh yes, I forgot about that… Let's go" he says grabbing my hand as I get up.

Locke and I part ways, he heads to the caves and I head to Kate who I see standing in the water.

"Hi" I say walking up to her

"Hey" she replies

"So Locke heard screaming last night, do you know what that's all about?" I ask

"No I didn't hear anything… where was he when he heard it?" she asks

"Oh, um he was with me. We were in his old shelter… the one he made when we first crashed." I answer

"Oh." She says giving me the did something happen look

I laugh "Yeah… it was an interesting night" I say

"Other than the mysterious scream?" she says curiously

"Oh yeah, you could say there was more than one person screaming last night…" I say

"So you and Locke huh?" she says

"Yup, I do not believe that being here, meeting him was a coincidence. He would say its destiny and I believe him" I say. She is quiet, and I'm not sure what she is thinking. There is no way all of this is coincidence. Jack walks over and they go back and fourth for a while and then heads back to the caves. "So… what's with you and Jack, is anything there?" I ask

"There may be, I'm not really sure yet. I don't open up that easily" she says

"That's how I was, back home. Here, with Locke we clocked right away…" I say

"That's good, I'm glad" she says

"I am too. He is great" I say smiling "Oh, maybe Jack knows about the scream last night. Locke said it sounded like it came from the caves"

"Oh yeah he probably does. Look he is over there with Charlie, let's catch up to him" she says walking in his direction. I follow. We meet up to them and Charlie asked us if we saw anything leave the beach last night. "People come and go, but, no, I don't know" Kate says. He looks at me "Uh no I was… I didn't see anyone leave" I look at Kate "I did see someone come though…" I whisper. She laughs. Charlie is not amused and Jack is confused. "It was a sex joke" I laugh "Sorry." Charlie is still having no part in this but Jack laughs. "Ok, well uh, I have to go… Bye Kate" I say and walk away in search of Locke. As I walk away, I hear Jack say he isn't sure anything even happen and Charlie freaks out. Apparently, she says someone tried to hurt her baby… but no one saw or heard anything other than her screaming from nightmares.

…

I find Locke; he is doing something with an aloe leaf. I walk past Hurley and all I hear is "I know already talked to you, I just wanted to get away from him for a second". I laugh

"Locke, I think Hurley is scared of you". He looks up at me and I am still laughing. "What did you say to him?" I ask

"He was asking me questions, he has been asking everyone. He is making a list of survivors. He asked me the reason I was in Australia and I said I was looking for something. He then asked if I found it and I said that it had found me. I asked him if there was anything else he needed from me and he said no and left in your direction with that woman." He says

"It was probably how you said it, not everyone gets how deep you are. So what found you?" I ask

"Well the island. And you." He says. He puts a dab of Aloe on his finger and then rubs it on my face. "You're starting to get a little red" he says.

"Oh, yeah, the sun is not my friend… Thank you." I say smiling.


	9. Two Trails

I can feel my face starting burn after Locke pointed it out I looked a bit burned. He suggests we go to the caves. We walk up and he gets me water. While he is getting it, Sayid staggers into view, panting and limping. "Listen to me" he says "I found her… the French woman… the woman on the island" Kate brings Jack water to rinse the wound and Sayid sighs in pain. "I had to come back…" He drinks some water he is out of breath from his trip back to us, injured. Jack tried to get a better look at the wound but Sayid grabs his hand to get his attention and says "We're not alone". Jack and Kate look at each other, then at Locke and me.

Hurley comes running telling Jack that one of "us" is not in the manifest…Ethan. Jack starts yelling, asking if anyone has seen him. Michael says he was getting some wood on the path to the beach. Jack then asks where Charlie is. "He went after Claire" Locke answers. I look at him, then to Kate. We are all putting the pieces together. Sayid passes out. Locke and Jack then run to the beach trail to find Claire and Charlie.

Locke comes back alone shortly after saying he found a trail. Claire and Charlie were taken and Jack has gone to follow the trail. "You let him go alone" Kate says in response. "Don't worry, I'll catch up" He says. Kate tells him that no one on the beach has seen any of them and then says she is coming with us to follow the trail. "I thought you might" he says handing her a knife. Boone offers to come as well. Shannon starts freaking out and Locke goes into one of his speeches about how we will find them. I look at him totally awestruck, he always amazes me. He looks at me and says "Let's get moving". We all head out.

We run in to Michael before we leave the caves, he offers assistance too but Locke says "Thanks but we're set. Anyone else will slow us down". Michael then says ok and that he will make his own search team. I roll my eyes. "Good idea" Locke says "we're going north, I suggest you go south" He walks away and I follow. If Michael doesn't fuck off with this being offended shit, swear to god I'm gonna say something.

We finally find Jack in a clearing in the jungle. He has been going in circles. Kate asks him if he found anything and he says no. "You should go back to the caves, Sayid's leg" Locke suggests. "I dressed Sayid's legs" Jack replies agitated "Do you have a trail to follow or not". He needs to chill. Why is everyone giving my guy lip today? "It was my fault. I was around Ethan and never sensed anything. But whatever I know about hunting and tracking, he knows more" Locke says. He is trying to keep Jack safe which is smart because he is our only Doctor. Jack isn't taking his advice. "Can we go now" He asks. "Follow me" Locke replies and we all follow him. Kate and I exchange looks; something is up with Jack it seems.

I find a red cloth in Locke's backpack and hand it to him. He starts to shred it and tie the pieces onto trees so we do not get _lost_. "You can lead us back to camp right" Boone asks. I laugh, like hello seriously Boone. "If nothing happens to me" Locke replies. "Maybe I'd better take marker detail" Boone says looking nervous as hell. I laugh and so does Locke, handing the rags over. Jack and Kate come through the brush behind us, Jacks asks if we have found anything. "Not yet" Locke replies. "If you can't find the trail…" Jack begins seeming angry. "I'll pick it up again" Locke says "We need to rest for a minute, to get our clarity back". He takes off his backpack and begins to sit; I sit next to him and drink some water. Jack is very restless and questions Locke's choice for a break. "Yes I'm taking a break" Locke says mimicking his anger. Jack is starting dagger at Locke. "Do you have something to say Jack" I ask annoyed. Locke looks at me then at Jack, but he has nothing to say apparently. Then Kate chimes in, asking to talk to him. They walk off so we can't hear, but I hope it is something on the lines of chill the fuck out. I offer Locke some water and he accepts. "What is up with him" I ask

"Not sure, but hopefully it stops soon" he says. He hands me the bottle back and I put it in his backpack; I then sit back down beside him and put his arm around me. Boone is starring at us, I forgot… Only Kate knows about us. "Oh, yeah we are a thing…Kinda down low because of well, the starring" I say and he quickly looks away. We both laugh. I am resting quietly on his shoulder when he all of a sudden yells "JACK" scaring the ever living shit out of me. He found one of the things Charlie had on his fingers… "Jesus Christ John" I say as I try and catch my breath from the deep inhale I just took, scared to death. Boone walks over and looks at what Locke has found as Jack and Kate run over. "What is it" Kate asks. Jack picks it up "Look familiar" Locke asks. "It's Charlie's" Jack answers. No way had this just come off… Ethan is leaving us a trail. Locke nods in agreement.

We all get up in search for more leads. Jack finds another first and says "They went this way". I'm not so sure. There is anther trail here" Locke says. "What do you mean another" Jacks asks impatiently. "These are footprints. People moved off this way" Locke explains. Jack thinks that Charlie is leaving these behind for us, but Kate brings up a good point, what if he isn't the one leaving them? She has a point. "If he knows we are following he could be setting up a dummy trail" she says. "Wait, now you're a tracker" Boone asks surprised. "You're just full of surprises" Locke says. With two trackers, we split up into two groups; Boone, Locke and myself and Jack and Kate. "Be careful" Locke says to Jack and Kate. They nod and we go off in separate directions.

Boone ties a piece of cloth to a tree. "Red shirt" he says.

"Oh my god…" I say. I know where this is going!

"What" Locke says confused.

"You ever watch Star Trek" Boone asks

"Oh not really: Locke replies

"What, no way…" I exclaim. Locke looks back at me.

"The crew guys, that would go down to the planet with the main guys, the captain and the guy with pointy ears…They always worse red shirts, and they always got killed"

"Yeah" John asks

"Yeah" Boone says. This guy is joking right?!

"No…" I say annoyed

"Sounds like a piss poor captain" Locke says and Boone laughs

"No. Ok…" I begin, stopping in my tracks "First of all… you're talking about Captain Kirk, from the Original series… Spock is the one with the pointy ears, the Vulcan who says 'Live long and prosper" I do the star trek hand signal "He wore blue most of the time not red. Kirk was a bad captain… Now Picard, he is the Captain you could trust. John he is like you… Smart, talented, Bald… Sexy" I say smiling. I look up and they both are looking at me in surprise.

"What… I grew up with star trek, the next generation with the good captain" I say Locke smiles at me and then smiles at Boone who looks like a deer in headlights. I laugh and walk up to Locke, we then continue walking. A little while after my nerd outburst, Boone asks what Locke does in the real world. "Take a guess" Locke says.

"Well, you're either a taxidermist or a hit man" Boone replies. We all laugh.

"I was a… Regional Collections Supervisor for a box company"

"A box company" Boone says unimpressed

Locke nods and says "They made boxes". Locke then starts walking again and I follow, grabbing his hand. Boone mumbles "yeah right" and we laugh to ourselves.

We have been walking for a while now and haven't seen any sign of the tracks for about 15 minutes. Boone asks what we are following and Locke says his gut. I trust that more than he does for sure.

"So Boone, what do you do in the real world" Locke asks.

"I run a business" he replies

"What kind of business" Locke asks

"It's a wedding thing…" he replies again. Locke and I look confused so he begins to explain further. They chat back and fourth about who will run it now and I look up at the sky… It's getting cloudy. Locke then says it will rain in one minute. "One minute" Boone asks, he doesn't believe him but I do. I can't tell too but not in the same way Locke can. Locke suggests Boone head back but he refuses. After some back and fourth Locke agrees to let him stay "All right" and seconds after, it starts to rain. Like downpour. I look at Boone, then Locke and laugh. Locke spreads his arms and laughs as well. I quickly run over to him as Boone is turned the other way and kiss Locke. I've always wanted to kiss in the rain, and yeah it basically feels the same as you feel watching it in the movies. We start to walk off and Boone yells "Did they teach you how to predict the weather at a box company". Locke laughs.

It is night now, darkness is all around us. Locke leads us with a flashlight in hand. "Are we _lost_ " Boone asks. "No Boone, we're not _lost_ "

"Sorry, it's just… I don't see how you can still be following his trail" Boone says. He is tired, we all are. "I think we should go back, man" he speaks up again

"Don't you feel it" Locke asks

"Feel what" Boone asks

"It" Locke replies. Boone is clearly running on empty and says "I'm gonna follow the strips back"

"Suit yourself" Locke says "Boone, you need this more than I do" and he throws him the flashlight. Boone misses the catch and the flashlight drops to the ground. We hear a loud thud, that doesn't sound like dirt.

"What the hell" I say. Boone grabs at flashlight and Locke and I walk over. "What is that" Boone asks. Locke starts moving mud out of the way to revel a shiny gray surface. He taps his knife on it and sure enough it's metal.

"Steel" Locke answers.

"Could that be part of the plane…part of the wreckage" Boone asks. We are all confused. Locke continues to tap the knife in a line in front of us, with every tap is that echoing metal sound. He spreads the mud to reveal more steel.

"What is that" Boone asks again

"That's what we're gonna find out" Locke replies. A smile spreads across his face. He is lit with curiosity. It is very late and I am getting sleepy. I put my hand on Locke's back to get his attention and say "It's late, we should go back" He looks up to me and wipes his mud covered hands on his pants before getting up. "You're right" he says "We should head back, recharge and come back out here tomorrow. With that, we head back to camp.

We arrive at the caves and Locke tells Boone to keep this between us, before he walks down to the beach. "Meet me here at first light, if you're not here, I'll come get you" he tells Boone. He leaves for the beach and we head to our shelter. Locke opens the flap door for me as always. I start to take my clothes off. "Sorry, I'm just soaking wet" I say

"Don't be sorry, never be sorry for taking your pants off" he says smiling at me.

"Aright" I say laughing. I take my shirt off and as it's over my head he comes over and as I lift it over my head I gasp, I didn't hear him and it startled me how close he was, even though I love it. "Hi" I say smiling

"Hi" he says back, smiling and he kisses me taking my shirt from my hands. He then takes my clothes to hang off of the door flap frame. I sit on the bed in my bra and panties. It's kind of hot so I don't mind and I know he doesn't at all. He comes back and lies down next to me. "So what do you think we found today" I ask

"I'm not sure. We will go back and clear more area to see more of it." He says

"I can stay here while you guys do that, to swerve any talk. You guys could be 'hunting" I say using my fingers to quote.

"Ok, that's a good idea" he says

"You know what else a good idea is" I ask

"What's that" he asks looking hot as all hell

"Getting that shirt off" I say as I move over straddle his hips. He smiles and I laugh and bite my lip and I trace my hands over his side leading his shirt to his shoulders. Looking at his body I can't help but run my hands over it. Once I pull it over his head I kiss him and he grabs my wrists as he rolls over so he is now on top of me. He kisses me first on my lips, then they lead down my neck. I laugh because his stubble is tickling my soft skin. He lets go of his grip and lies down next to me holding his head up with his hand. I grab his shirt and hang it next to my clothes. I peek out of the door and see everyone sleeping. "Do you think that I could get some water without anyone waking up" I ask

"Well if you're quiet and quick I don't see why anyone would wake up" he says

"Ok, I'm gonna go" I say grabbing a bottle.

"Wait with no clothes" He asks

"No way, they're soaked. I'll be fast" I laugh as I open the door to look again before heading out. I tip toe a few feet and stop to look around. I mean I don't really care if anyone see's me, I'm almost at my goal weight and I look damn good. I reach the 'watering hole' and dip my bottle in. the bubbles escape and actually make a lot of noise which I never realized in the daytime. I hear footsteps behind me and I turn around to see Jack. "Hey" I say continuing to fill my bottle.

"Hey" he says "what has you up so early" he asks

"Oh, Boone, Locke and I just got back a little while ago" I reply

"It's kind of late. Did you find anything" he asks

"No, we lost the trail a little while; there was nothing for a while. Boone forgot to tag trees so I guess Locke decided to take us on a long detour" I laugh "What about you" I ask

"Well, we had the right trail. Ethan found us and told us to stop following… we obviously didn't and thank god because we found Charlie hanging from a tree. He was unconscious, I thought he was gone but he is alive and, for the most part well. He has no clue where Claire is but he said they wanted her, whoever they is" he explains

"Oh shit, that is crazy. He must be shook up but I'm glad you found him" I say. He then notices my attire, or there lack of. He looks back with a puzzling look. "My clothes were wet so they are drying on the shelter Locke made" I say

"Locke's in the shelter too" He asks curiously

"Oh yeah" I say laughing "Yeah, it's exactly what you think" I say as I get up and walk back. Locke opens the door for me and I go in. Jack must've been looking still because Locke waves in that direction.

"Oh my god he watched me walk away…" I ask

"Yes he did. What did you two talk about" He asks

"Well I told him we got back a little while ago and we found nothing… He apparently was on the right trail and Ethan like beat his ass and almost killed Charlie. He was hanging from a damn tree, Jack saved him" I say.

"Is he ok" he asks

"Well, as ok as anyone who almost died would be I assume, but Jack says he is physically fine, just some scrapes" I say. "He also asked about my lack of clothing and I told him they were wet so I hung em up here, and he asked if you were here too and I said yes, so that's why he looked… to see if you were" I say laughing. "He is probably still up so maybe we should just sleep tonight" I say

"Maybe you're right… Or, he could be sleeping" he says gently grabbing my hands and landing them on his knees. "Oh yeah, you think" I say softly as I a finger away from his face, teasing his lips. He leans in to kiss me. I place my hands on his chest; he is so warm. He gently lays me down and we make love again. It is better than the first time; he definitely knows what he is doing. Soon after we are done pleasing each other we both fall asleep, exhausted from our day in the jungle.

I wake up and I can see light through the space above the door frame. He must have gone to find Boone. I roll over and fall back asleep.


	10. The Hatch

Hatch

I wake up and decide to get up. Locke will be gone for most of the day with Boone so I decide to go down to the beach. I have my water and sunscreen and lay my towel down in the warm sand. I lie down and untie my bikini top around my neck and I see Sayid and Shannon talking and looking at something. I smile and lay my head down. They are adorable; I hope they end up together.

I open my eyes and flip to my back. I hear Sayid and Shannon start to argue. She then storms off and all I can think is "Ugh". I scan the beach and see people moving things around, maybe away from the beach to the caves. I decide to not just go over and help out because I am in my bikini relaxing for once. The sun feels so nice on my back. I just think to myself what Locke has uncovered about that metal we found. It kind of annoys me how much he is on my mind. No guy has eve captivated my mind this much before. Could this be love and if so what do I do next?

I've been down here soaking up the sun for hours now and I pick up my stuff and try to find something to distract me from my confusing feelings. I see Kate sitting staring out at the ocean and walk over saying "Hey" as I sit down. It takes her a few seconds before she returns the greeting. She looks distressed and I ask "Are you ok?" She continues to stare at the waves crashing on the shore and replies "Yeah"

"Do you want me to leave? We don't have to talk if you just want company… I know that helps me when I'm anxious or whatever" I say trying to comfort her

"Yeah ok, thank you" she says and I nod and look out copying her gaze. We sit in silence together for a while and then Jack comes walking toward us with a silver briefcase. Kate turns around and sees him. He walks up and looks at her. "We are gonna do this together" he says. I look at her confused. She asks him why and he responds with "Because that's what I said we'd do" and he walks off. "Umm rude" I say to her. She gets up and follows him. I get up and decide to help people move stuff farther up the shore; it's nearly sundown.

By sundown I am back up at the caves sitting around the fire next to Kate. She is holding a toy plane, was it in the briefcase? I look around and see Charlie crying talking with Rose and also Sayid and Shannon talking. She starts singing in French one of my favorite songs. I assume this is their make up, thank god. Jack then turns to Kate beside me. She is staring at the plane. I just stare into the fire wondering where Locke is. I hope he is ok. I head off to my shelter and go to sleep

…

I am woken up by the sound of the tarp door being opened. I turn over and see Locke. I quickly get up but fall to my knees because I'm basically half asleep, so I just hug his legs. "Where have you been" I sigh "I've missed you, was getting worried" I say. "I was with Boone at the hatch again" he replies. I let go of his legs "Please come here" I say scooting back on my side of the bed. He sits on the bed and I hug him properly, kissing his neck slowly not letting go of him. "Ugh I missed you" I sigh. I seriously love this man and I'm not sure if I should say something now or wait until a better moment, if there will be one. As I think I lay down as does he. I then rest my head on his chest and he put his arm around me. Listening to his breath is so calming, I quickly fall back asleep.

I wake up and the sun is just rising. I see Locke is gathering supplies to head out to the hatch again. I rub my eyes and kneel over and wrap my arms around him. "Hi" I say

"You're up early" he says

"Yeah, Must be well rested for once. Headed to the hatch?" I ask

"Yes. Packing a few things then will head out"

"Umm" I say hesitating "Do you think I could come. No one is up yet so they'll have no idea" I say. He looks back at me and then looks back to his backpack and says "Yes of course" I smile and gather a few things to bring, and then we head out.

…

We have been clearing the extra dirt away from the sealed door of the hatch for hours now. We all sit down for a break. Locke is mixing something. I watch him in awe, he knows so much and I am mesmerized by basically every thing he does. Boone then walks over and says "That glass isn't breaking and the door's sealed shut. I think its cement." Then looks to Locke and asks "What is that". Locke looks up but didn't hear what he said so Boone repeats "What is that, the stuff in the bowl."

"It's for later" Locke replies. Boon sits besides Locke on the opposite side of me and then starts to go on about how they have been out here for a couple days and what are we doing. I turn to Locke because this is my first time being here since we found it and he clears his throat

"Ludovico Buonarrati, Michelangelo's father. He was a wealthy man. He had no understanding of the divinity in his son, so he beat him. No child of his was going to use his hands for a living. So, Michelangelo learned not to use his hands. Years later a visiting prince came into Michelangelo's studio and found the master staring at a single 18 foot block of marble. Then he knew that the rumors were true - that Michelangelo had come in everyday for the last four months, stared at the marble, and gone home for his supper. So the prince asked the obvious - what are you doing? And Michelangelo turned around and looked at him, and whispered, sto lavorando, I'm working. Three years later that block of marble was the statue of David." I look at him and smile. "Wow" I say impressed. "You really know the way into my panties." I feel my cheeks turn red, forgetting Boone was there. "Oh god, Shit… sorry." Locke laughs and then looks at Boone who is just staring at me like _what the fuck_. Thank god Boone speaks up breaking the silence I made so awkward.

"We're not going to stare at this for 4 months, are we? How are we going to open it?"

"Well, that's what we have to figure out. That's why we're sitting here. I mean, how do you open a hatch that has no handle, no latch, and no discernible way of opening it?" Locke replies. We all then look to the hatch door.

We start to head back to the caves when Boone interrupts the pleasant silence. Talking about hoe we need to tell everyone what we found and what we are doing. Locke then says that we don't even understand it so they won't either, so why bother telling them just to add unnecessary panic. "Look, at least I've got to tell Shannon" Boone says. "Why?" Locke asks. "What do you mean why? She's my sister… you get to bring your late night lay so why can't I tell my sister"

"What the fuck did you just say" I say sprinting up to him. "What the fuck. Say it again" I say right up in his face. Locke pulls me away. "Motherfucker" I say toward Boone, angrily sighing "Hush, calm down ok" Locke tells me.

"She can keep a secret. I just want her to get off my back" Boone says.

"You sure you want to do this?" Locke asks with a serious tone.

"Yes I'm sure" Boone replies without a beat.

"Have you thought of the ramifications to telling her?" Locke asks

"Yes" Boone replies

"So be it…" Locke says as he knocks him unconscious in such a swift motion I gasp when I look back. "Locke Jesus Christ… Warn a girl, you scared me.

"Sorry" he says

"He should be sorry…" I say looking at the ground. "So am I really you late night lay" I ask. He looks at me with the softest face I have even seen on him. "No way, are you serious" he says walking toward me. "I'm sorry to have what he said get to me but you know what I've dealt with in my past and…" I trail off. He bends his finger under my chin and tilts it up so I'm looking at him. I look in his eyes for a moment and then look away. "What is it? You can tell me anything you know that" he says softly. "I just feel differently than I ever have before and it scares me" I look at him "I think I'm in love with you John" I say. "Shit" I mumble to myself and turn the other way, embarrassed by this. I hear him walking. I assume he is walking away. How could he love me anyway? Our age difference, everyone always says I'm crazy for wanting anything serious with an older man. I start to walk as well; this is probably it for us. Why did I have to say anything… we were fine.


End file.
